The Frenzy Of Noah
This is the first effort on MCN from Noah, who most of you will recognize as a contributor on this blog. Here are some excerpts from the first column… have at it!
I see everything. I will see any movie that comes out because regardless of what the critics might be saying, I will always take the chance that perhaps they are wrong and perhaps I will be able to get that feeling that I look for. It’s like a drug for me and I can’t wait to get my next fix.
I never want to hate a movie. I might have preconceived notions, might feel that based on a certain star or a certain director that I may not like what I am about to view. But when I sit down in that seat, everything goes away and all I want to do is be entertained. But more than that, I secretly am hoping when I sit down to watch the next Brett Ratner film that he will somehow give me that high that I am longing for.
3) I’m not a particularly big fan of Asian cinema. I don’t really know what it is, but I’ve never really enjoyed anything other than a few Kurosawa films. I think it’s probably my fault, though I don’t know why.
4) The only critics I read regularly are James Berardinelli and Roger Ebert.
7) I’m 24 years old, live in New York City with my girlfriend and I try to go to the movies as much as possible. I’m also a rabid Mets and Knicks fan.
9) I’m extremely stubborn about my opinions, but when in arguments I try not to be mean-spirited. So I try not to call anyone an asshole just because they thought 300 was awesome and I thought it sucked.
10) 300 sucked hard.
More…
“It takes twenty years of life to come up with anything worth saying and another twenty to learn how to say it.” – Raymond Chandler
Ouch.
“4) The only critics I read regularly are James Berardinelli and Roger Ebert.”
Erm.
I like Noah’s comments on this blog and Elsewhere. I won’t say anything bad about him. But I also like and appreciate the Chandler quote and say to Ian that the net is youth driven. Everything is backwards.
I wanted to respond for the last hour on this blog, but TypeKey was being difficult.
First of all, Ian, thanks for the great quote. How old are you, sir? Just curious to know if you are either biased or hypocritical because of your own age.
Sasha, thanks for the kind words. Always been an admirer of yours. To defend that statement, I read a lot of critics (always check out Variety, Village Voice, New York magazine, the Onion, etc.) but Berardinelli and Ebert are the only ones I make a point of checking out. That doesn’t mean that I agree or disagree with their tastes, just that I use them as a barometer.
I hope everyone enjoys the column. I know, I know, I’m young and inexperienced and don’t know my ass from my elbow, yadda yadda yadda. But, I have a passion for film, a passionf or writing and this was my first column so I hope you’ll cut me a little bit of slack…
Noah, that was Chandler’s advice to novelists and playwrights. Perhaps he might have been kinder if he had had the precognition that there would one day be Bloggers; though I rather doubt it: he was a devotee of a more comprehensively tactile Fourth Estate than that which we perforce currently enjoy.
As for my age, let us just say that I am slightly older than David, much, much older than the scintillating Sasha and thankfully considerably younger than Jeff Wells – but hey, who isn’t?
Good luck with the column.
182 films that were released in 2006? I’m guessing some of them were rentals though, but still, that’s a shit load of film.
There are so many great plays and novels written by authors under the age of forty that I don’t know where to begin. But kind of a nasty quote to just toss out there, isn’t it?
As much as I like that Chandler quote, he also wrongly thought James M. Cain was a crappy writer.
Good luck to you Noah! I wish I had the opportunity to reach a wide audience with my thoughts on film, and I would just say now that you have this opportunity, use it wisely and with great passion.
“300 sucked hard.”
It also blew hard. That’s a rare accomplishment.
Yeah, Aladdin, a lot of those were rentals. I keep a comprehensive list of every movie I watch (by year and in order of best to worst). I guess you could say I’m compulsive. One day, if the column goes well enough, I’ll share the list to show you just how much of a cinephile I am.
And from the bottom of my heart, thank you to, montrealkid and everybody else who wished me luck on my column. It means a lot.
Noah – it’s good that DP is giving you a column on his site (he seems to reach out to writers often, which is great, as long as he doesn’t keep stealing them from me 🙂 but I would suggest to you and DP that he branch out MCN to not be columns but rather blog posts. It would open up the discussion a lot. In other words, if he’s linking to you off the Hot Blog why not give you your own login and let you post columns?
Montreal Kid, anyone can start a blog and reach an audience these days. ‘Tis the beauty of the internet. If you wanna do it, do it.
Go get ’em Noah…I anxiously await the Mets collapse…and your next column.
Thanks Petaluma, I appreciate it. Are you a Braves fan or (…shudder…) a Phillies fan?
Sasha, maybe we’ll get to a blog later. I think DP wants me to walk before I start a marathon!
Noah, as a Thai, I can say that you’re not missing out much on Asian cinemas. Currently, there’s a Korean fever in Thailand, and I’ve given a few a shot, and almost fell asleep. And Thai cinema, that is a national embarrassment for me. So you’re not missing much (in my opinion). Of course, occasionally a good one comes along. Have you seen ‘Last Life in the Universe’? It’s by Pen-ek Ratanaruang. I highly recommend it. Despite being a Thai movie, it’s mostly in Japanese and English!!
Giants fan, Noah….just can’t stomach teams who try and buy a championship. That is, until next eyar when the Giants do it. Incidentally, we just tied the game against the Braves so my guys are trying to help yours.
Ployp, I haven’t seen that one. I’ll add it to my list for sure, though, since you recommend it so highly.
Well, Petaluma, the Mets only spend 25 million more than the Giants this year. Plus, with all the revenue Bonds brings in, they gotta have enough money to sign players. That GM of yours, though, went a little overboard with that Zito signing, though. He spent more money on Zito than the Mets spent on Beltran!
Good luck, Noah.
The Host is out on DVD now and it’s Asian, and loads of fun, so I say check it out.
Thanks for the overshare. I so love overwrought ranting on the internet. 300 sucked hard? If you are an overwrought ranter on the internet. Sure it does. Sure it does!
(yes, it does)
You know what, Jeff, I actually did enjoy The Host for the most part. Good one. My only problem was that it seemed like a fun ride for a lot of the time and then towards the end, it tried to get a little too real. But, definitely a solid flick from the Far East. I also liked Raise the Red Lantern quite a bit, as well as To Live.
IOIOIOI, if I wasn’t on the internet, then could I say it sucked and you’d agree? As for the overwrought thing, we can’t all come up with snarky three sentence gems like you!
Noah; if you want to get into a fight with words. It is surely a fight you would lose. I decided to make it less snarky and as succinct as possible. I am glad that Miami Heat gave you a shot. However, if want Devin Farci, then he should have hired Devin Farci.
Jeffy Poo; go watch a movie where young women are tortured. Apparently that floats you more then the fictionalized story of the 300. As if I care what you and your demented psyche think about 300.
If you didn’t care, why comment?
And I absolutely believe that Captivity is a better movie than 300.
As a Mets fan, do you know how much they paid Kevin Bass to throw Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS?
IO, I don’t want to get into any sort of fight with anybody whether it’s with words or knives. I’d rather have a discussion, but it didn’t seem like that was what you were interested in. I don’t really think I’m like Devin Farci, who I think is great, and I think you should wait until you read my next column. But, you are entitled to your opinion.
As for 300, I would say that it has the same problem that Captivity has which is that it is all about images. Whereas 300 wanted to show you really muscular men doing awesome stuff with arrows and swords, Captivity wanted to show you Elisha Cuthbert trapped in a box filling with sand. These are startling images, but if you don’t FEEL anything behind those images, then they are just a lot of brush strokes signifying nothing. But, that is just my opinion and I hope that you like the next column better.
RDP, nothing close to what the Astros paid Roger Clemens for half a year…
Noah, my statements to you did come across more ominous then intended. However, I accept your opinion about 300, but the flick tells an old story well. Now: could you explain to a brother how Children of Men moved you? That movie lacked poignancy to a remarkable degree. And you did come across like Devin to me.
Jeff with a creepy email address said; “If you didn’t care, why comment?
And I absolutely believe that Captivity is a better movie than 300.” Jeff, you make things so easy. Seriously brah. Seriously.
Hey, whatever-your-name-is…
If you’re a Mets AND Knicks fan, then your opinions ain’t worth a rat’s ruddy red ass.
Come on! Noah is a Knicks fan. HE HAS SUFFERED ENOUGH! Do not negate his opinions. When this poor lad has suffered at the hands of … Thomas. Isiah … Thomas.
Good start, Noah and a very interesting new column. I look forward to reading it in the months and years to come.
In the meantime, a quick question, and forgive me if this makes me sound like another less than a hard-core film lover. Scanning your top movies from last year (and the sample of the 40 that left you sitting with a smile), was it really necessary to trawl through the 137 mediocre and bad films? I ask because a list of 182 movies must surely include A LOT of crap. I pride myself on casting my movie net as wide as possible and sampling as much I can get my hands on, but I still don’t feel like I’m missing much by spending time with a movie other than Wild Hogs.
Bit of background to this question – I’m on a personal movie-high this year and have watched close to 250 movies since January (80% on DVD, obviously.) What makes the year remarkable isn’t the quantity, but the quality of movies that I’ve been spending the time on. I’ve got a list of 1000+ movies to get through (I’m sure most people have the same kind of “one-day-I’ve-gotta-see” list), but in the past 6 months I’ve walked away from the couch with that “frenzy on the wall” feeling more times than I’ve felt in the last 5 years. And it’s partly by avoiding the dregs and chasing the movies that I’ve otherwise missed in years past. I’ve seen plenty of 07 films worth getting excited about (try a Once/Superbad double-bill and tell me if you don’t fly home!!) but have also found myself digging into all kinds of classic movies, cult movies and otherwise favourites (The Searchers, Midnight Cowboy, The General, Vanishing Point, Last Temptation of Christ, Repulsion, Minority Report, Nashville…to give a very, very slim sample.)
I guess my point is that I’d rather spend my time watching Children of Men for the second time or some unseen (by me) Scorsese movie for the first time than watching License to Wed even once.
Sorry. I promised this would be a quick question and I clearly lied. The real question is this: have you encountered many surprises by spending your time on movies that critics (and other movie fans on this and other message boards) consider to be mediocre or simply terrible? Are there movies in your secondary list of “40” that you would otherwise have missed if you had stuck to some kind of loose Rotten Tomatoes type standard? Was Norbit actually worth your 100 minutes?
Lord knows that I’m attracted to a lot of fluff and often ignore what I read when I sense there could be a nugget of something for me. (I almost enjoyed Kickin’ It Old Skool.) But it seems like there are also instances when it is so obvious that I won’t have a good time that subjecting myself to the movie anyways would just be blind completism…
Noah, don’t listen to anyone in here.
GO METS.
Noah-
Fun column. I enjoy reading people who are passionate about film.
“Noah; if you want to get into a fight with words. It is surely a fight you would lose.”
LOL. Who the hell is this guy?
Thanks for the kind words, Mark and Mystery, much appreciated.
To answer your question Jackfly, and it’s a great question, it’s not so much that I’ve found so many great movies by watching absolutely everything, it’s that watching those terrible movies make me appreciate the great ones. Those 182 films were just the ones that came out in the year 2006, I also caught up on a bunch of classics or films that were on my list of movies to see. Just yesterday I watched Altered States for the first time (although I wasn’t really blown away by it) and I’ve got a few older films to plow through by this weekend, in addition to Hairspray, Superbad and Evan Almighty.
I used to watch my favorite films over and over again, but I have a really good memory so it’s hard for me to enjoy a film a second time or to feel surprised by it the second time around. Also, it’s hard for me to watch a film for the second or third time when I know that there are so many movies out there that I haven’t even seen once. And lastly, I think if I watched nothing but great movies or attempted to watch nothing but great flicks, I probably wouldn’t appreciate them as much as I might if I also included the mediocre ones in my schedule.
But, since you asked, here are some movies that I liked that I might not have watched if I had listened to the popular opinion: Ask the Dust, Wassup Rockers, Everything is Illuminated, Jarhead, Lords of Dogtown (yes, I enjoyed it damnit!), Rules of Attraction, Unbreakable, Mumford, Meet Joe Black, and those are just from a quick scan of my list. You could argue that these movies are obviously aiming higher than Norbit (which had zero redeeming value), but I’m sure there’s a movie like it that I found to be better than expected.
Thanks for the question, it really was a good one and I just want to say that you never know what good things you might find in the worst movies. I think you can walk away from almost any movie with something positive to say. Of those 182 movies last year, only 11 were so bad that I couldn’t find one good thing to say about them (Lady in the Water, Running with Scissors, Bloodrayne, The Omen, Just My Luck, and a few others). I also just want to throw out there that I think movies that have some talent in them or behind the camera and fail miserably are ten times harder to watch than the Norbits and Wild Hogs. At least with the latter films you know what you’re walking into and anything more than what you expect is a bonus, with the other ones, it is really a disappointment.
Whew, that was a long response. Hope that answers your question, though.
good luck with the column.
that “the departed” is up there pains me, but clearly i’m in the minority.
and as a red sox fan, go mets!
Lady in the Water and The Omen were both at least well-shot, and Lady had a very good performance from Giamatti. Otherwise, both were crap.
Great answer, Noah and I appreciate it. You’re certainly right that watching the crappy movies makes those great movies so much more worthwhile. And to be honest, if we stuck with only the “Great” movies, well…that’s the road to movie snobbery, I think (and I hope my e-mail didn’t come off that way.)
There’s no question that there are some flecks of gold to be found in the dung heap that makes up much of the weekend box office. I can certainly attest that some of my great movie experiences are those that I might not have had if I stuck with only popular opinion.
I look forward to reading what you have to say in the future. Best of luck with the new column!
Did the kid pull Poland out of a flaming wreck? Perform a Heimlich on him at the Ammo? Or is he just really, really cute? I feel like I’ve missed something.
Perhaps Noah also shares Poland’s closeted love of musicals.
It’s all three, frankbooth. I don’t know if it was the sentiment that disagreed with you or if you were not particularly fond of the style of the writing, but it was merely an introductory and hopefully you’ll find more enjoyment in the next article.
Jeff, I think Poland’s love of musicals has been professed, much like your love of horror films. Personally, it takes a lot for me to get up the nerve to watch a musical. I’m supposed to see Hairspray tomorrow, but it’s really a struggle for me even though it’s gotten mostly positive notices.
That should have said ‘introduction’, not ‘introductory’.